[C] Dead Hang Challenge

Grip strength is an essential yet often overlooked aspect of functional fitness. Whether you’re lifting weights, doing pull-ups, or carrying heavy loads in daily life, a strong grip can improve performance and reduce injury risk. In this post, we’ll cover the importance of grip strength, the different types of grip, and effective exercises—including rice bucket training—that will help you develop…

Steps to Mastering the Pull-up/Heave

Introduction

Looking to improve your heave (pull-up) count, or just starting out?

Below we share some of the muscle groups you will need to target and outline some exercises to help you achieve your aim.

The Muscles

The latissimus dorsi provides the most power during the upward movement towards the bar, with other muscles involved in the movement including:

The rhomboids;

Posterior…

My back has come such a long way!! And those shoulders!!

I'm so pumped to see the definition coming through. It gives me a lot more motivation to really master the pull-up. I'm finally in a place where I can do a few half chin-ups, and it's showing in my muscles (As an aside, those leg raises would have looked a lot stronger had I taped them earlier in the session. This was after hammering my body for awhile, and was only for the purposes of inspecting back definition.)

Keep pushing. Keep pulling. I can feel it.

This summer I'll see a dead hang.

Did you sign up for an obstacle race this summer?

I have two questions for you:

1. How many pull-ups can you do?

2. Are you planning on competing in an obstacle race this season?

If the answer to the latter was ‘yes’ and the former a shrug of the shoulders then you need to read this post. Why? Because the ability to safely hang with only your bodyweight is not only fundamental for countless other movements, but for many of the popular obstacle…